Vulcan (Maiorism)
.]] Vulcan (Eurasian: Vulcanus) is the Maiorist god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge. He is often depicted with a blacksmith's hammer in his temples and shrines. He is the patron deity of factory workers, firemen, and tradesmen in Eurasia. A festival in His honor, the Vulcanalia, is held on August 25th. The process of rubber vulcanization is named after Him, as myth holds that Vulcan came to the inventor in a dream and taught him the process. Vulcan is wed to his sister, Venus, but She often has affairs with Mars, god of war. Alongside his siblings, Vulcan comprises part of the Dii Consentes, the holiest gods in Mos Maiorum. His forge is believed to be located beneath Mount Etna in Saepinum. Origin Mythos The following is taken from the Maiorist tome De Vulcanim Natura As the son of Jupiter, the king of the gods, and Juno, the queen of the gods, Vulcan should have been quite handsome, but baby Vulcan was small and ugly with a red, bawling face. Juno was so horrified that she hurled the tiny baby off the top of Mount Olympus. Vulcan fell down for a day and a night, landing in the sea. Unfortunately, one of his legs broke as he hit the water, and never developed properly. Vulcan sank to the depths of the ocean, where the sea-nymph Thetis found him and took him to her underwater grotto, wanting to raise him as her own son. Vulcan had a happy childhood with dolphins as his playmates and pearls as his toys. Late in his childhood, he found the remains of a fisherman's fire on the beach and became fascinated with an unextinguished coal, still red-hot and glowing. Vulcan carefully shut this precious coal in a clamshell, took it back to his underwater grotto, and made a fire with it. On the first day after that, Vulcan stared at this fire for hours on end. On the second day, he discovered that when he made the fire hotter with bellows, certain stones sweated iron, silver or gold. On the third day he beat the cooled metal into shapes: bracelets, chains, swords and shields. Vulcan made pearl-handled knives and spoons for his foster mother, and for himself he made a silver chariot with bridles so that seahorses could transport him quickly. He even made slave-girls of gold to wait on him and do his bidding. Later, Thetis left her underwater grotto to attend a dinner party on Mount Olympus wearing a beautiful necklace of silver and sapphires that Vulcan had made for her. Juno admired the necklace and asked where she could get one. Thetis became flustered, causing Juno to become suspicious; and, at last, the queen god discovered the truth: the baby she had once rejected had grown into a talented blacksmith. Juno was furious and demanded that Vulcan return home, a demand that he refused. However, he did send Juno a beautifully constructed chair made of silver and gold, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Juno was delighted with this gift but, as soon as she sat in it her weight triggered hidden springs and metal bands sprung forth to hold her fast. The more she shrieked and struggled the more firmly the mechanical throne gripped her; the chair was a cleverly designed trap. For three days Juno sat fuming, still trapped in Vulcan's chair; she could not sleep, she could not stretch, she could not eat. It was Jupiter who finally saved the day: he promised that if Vulcan released Juno he would give him a wife, Venus the goddess of love and beauty. Vulcan agreed and married Venus. He later built a smithy under Mount Etna on the archipelago of Saepinum. It was said that whenever Venus was unfaithful, Vulcan grew angry and beat the red-hot metal with such a force that sparks and smoke rose up from the top of the mountain, creating a volcanic eruption. Epithets Epithets of Vulcan include: *''Vulcan Caminator'': Vulcan the Forgemaster *''Vulcan Fabricator'': Vulcan the Craftsman *''Vulcan Vafer'': Vulcan the Cunning *''Vulcan Vigoratus'': Vulcan the Hearty, prayed to before undertaking harsh physical tasks. Category:Eurasia Category:Religion Category:Deities Category:Mos Maiorum